Suvarna Salve

Woman Human Rights Defender

Maharastra

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on September 14, 2020, regarding the misuse of the law by Mumbai Police while asking WHRD Ms. Suvarna Salve to pay Rs 50 lakh as surety for participating in peaceful protest. Ms. Salve is a Dalit activist and singer in the cultural troupe Samata Kala Manch.

On August 24, 2020, Mr. Santosh Walake, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Azad Maidan Division, Mumbai issued a notice to Ms. Salve, asking her to explain why police should not initiate proceedings under Section 110 (e) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) against her. The notice said 1-2 persons must appear to provide surety and pledge an amount of Rs. 50 lakh to ensure good behavior from Ms. Salve for two years. The notice was sent to her for participating in a rally in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan against attacks students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and exposing caste discrimination through her songs.